Comets are icy and fragile. They spend most of their time orbiting through the dark outskirts of the solar system safe from destructive rays of intense sunlight. The deepest cold is their natural habitat.

On October 28, 2006, the Hinode solar mission was at last ready. The spacecraft launched on September 22, but such missions require a handful of diagnostics before the instruments can be turned on and collect what is called "first light."

Observations from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Japanese satellite Hinode show that some gas in the giant, fountain-like jets in the sun's atmosphere known as spicules can reach temperatures of millions of degrees.

WOODLAND, Calif., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- SunFoods, LLC announced today that Matt Alonso has been named Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. operation as it continues its expansion under the HINODE brand name.